


Oh Time, My Friend And Enemy

by TheAkkoSimp



Category: Little Witch Academia
Genre: F/F, Post-Canon, The Diana/Akko is mostly a background thing but its still there, This is a fic in which Finellan and Akko have wholesome interactions
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-12
Updated: 2021-02-15
Packaged: 2021-03-18 09:53:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,209
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29366586
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheAkkoSimp/pseuds/TheAkkoSimp
Summary: Anne Finnelan is on a mission to retrieve an important artifact. The mission is filled with peril, so it's good that she's not alone.
Relationships: Anne Finnelan & Atsuko "Akko" Kagari, Diana Cavendish/Atsuko "Akko" Kagari
Comments: 8
Kudos: 51





	1. The Future I: Mission

She'd thought that the worst had been taken care of. Anne had left her companion to fend off the worst of the threats found on the outside perimeter of these ruins while she focused on retrieving the objective.

Of course, things like this couldn't ever be so easy. There were multiple statues zealously guarding the treasure.

Anne glared at them. She stretched one hand, and her magic pulsated. The five walking statues in front of her crumbled under the weight of the pieces of debris that fell on them. With her other hand -the one that held her wand- Anne performed the same action. An entire wall of the room came crashing down on a dozen statues that marched menacingly towards her.

Her free hand reached for the glowing magenta orb that laid atop the pedestal in front of her. Her fingers felt a small jolt of electricity course through them, but she ignored the sensation in favor of holding the orb and placing it on the bag hanging from her hip.

With her objective secured, Anne hurried back towards the exit. She wasn’t young anymore, but she still traversed the ample room in record time.

She rounded one corner of the ancient ruins, stopping in her tracks with a loud curse escaping her lips. In the corridor in front of her, more than fifty of those statues waited for her. All of them carrying a variety of weapons: Sharp blades, wicked axes, and pointy spears. All aimed towards Anne.

Her ears caught steps from behind, and she whirled around to see a similar number of statues approaching as well. Anne tried to pinpoint the application of magic that gave movement to the statues in order to counter it, but they were closing in on her, and she didn’t have much time.

Suddenly, a rumbling sound -animalistic and furious- reverberated through the ruins. The statues that were in front of Anne sank when a creature burst from the ground underneath them.

At first sight, anyone would have called this creature a dragon. They would be wrong. Dragons would cower before this apex predator.

The remaining statues -those with spears- aimed at the creature, throwing the weapons that looked sharp enough to be able to tear through the toughest of metals.

The spears broke upon making contact with the creature’s skin.

The statues were nothing more than stone, clay, and dirt. They had no life or conscience. Anne’s eyes gained a glint of satisfaction when she saw them do the closest thing to cowering in fear.

The creature’s crimson eyes narrowed with fury, but its sight landed on Anne. She looked directly into its eyes, holding no fear whatsoever.

Her legs began moving. She hurried towards the creature, who turned around. Anne’s legs complained a bit at having to make a jump this high, but she landed on the creature’s back, quickly securing herself and the orb.

Wings, not of flesh, but of light, materialized on the creature’s back. They shuffled, and with a jump from the creature, they were both falling through the gaping hole that it had made.

Anne closed her eyes, holding for dear life as they fell. Any further and Anne thought they would meet the ground, but the creature twisted, and then they were flying through a perfectly carved tunnel. Anne opened her eyes, taking notice of the expertly work that the creature had put into the tunnel. No claws or fangs could have created something this smooth. This was magic.

They exited the tunnel, and she felt the cool drift of wind touch her face, finally allowing herself to relax momentarily. Her shoulders sagged, feeling the drain of the ordeal in her bones.

Still, she placed one hand on the creature’s neck, patting it gently.

“Excellent job.”

* * *

* * *

A Leyline appeared at the outskirts of the territory that belonged to Luna Nova. It had taken them an hour to return, and Anne yearned for a shower and her bed. But she knew that she had matters to see to first.

The creature landed on the ground. Its wings began to disappear, leaving a crimson trail that illuminated the night. Anne quickly dismounted from its back, hurrying to its front when a sound of pain escaped from the creature’s throat.

“It’s okay,” Anne soothed to the creature, “We are here, at Luna Nova.”

The creature’s crimson eyes, clouded by pain, snapped in recognition of that name. There was a yearning for the ancient academy in them and a fervent sense of protectiveness. Anne could sympathize.

The creature began glowing. Slowly at first, until it was nothing but a shining ray of white light. Anne closed her eyes, least she risked going blind.

When she felt the light disappear, she opened her eyes, seeing a woman kneeling in the spot where the creature previously stood. She was young, only thirty-one years old, wearing the robes that identified her as a member of Luna Nova’s teaching staff. Her shoulders were shaking.

“I… I am…” a shaky breath left her lips.

“You are Atsuko. Atsuko Kagari,” Anne spoke softly, leaning forward, and holding onto Atsuko’s shoulders. The shaking reduced little by little, until Atsuko's head shot upwards, looking at Anne with distant eyes.

“Soon, you will be Atsuko Cavendish, nee Kagari,” Anne continued quietly, “You are going to get married. You love your fiancée, and she would turn the world upside down for your sake.”

"Di-Diana..." the name was spoken with reverence and love that no other person could understand.

"That's right. Diana Cavendish. Your Diana," Anne explained, watching the faraway expression in Atsuko's eyes gain a hint of clarity when they focused on her.

“Anne…” Atsuko, whispered, “You are… Anne…”

“I am,” Anne confirmed. “Anne Finnelan, the Forty-Fifth Headmistress of Luna Nova Magical Academy. And you, Professor Kagari, are one of my staff. So, pull yourself together, because you still have papers to grade for tomorrow.”

A groan left Atsuko’s lips. She disentangled Anne’s hands from her shoulders to facepalm.

“Headmistress, you just had to remind me, didn’t you?!”

Anne let out a throaty chuckle, watching her Professor of Advanced Metamorphosis and Creation return to her own self.

“Serves you right for letting them pile on just so you could chat with your fiancée,” Anne remarked.

Atsuko grumbled; a rosy tint visible on her cheeks. Her eyes landed on the magenta orb peeking out from the bag at Anne's side.

“Mission accomplished,” she said, looking at Anne.

“Mission accomplished,” Anne confirmed with a nod.

Atsuko slowly rose from the ground, until she was standing taller than Anne. She seemed tired, yet proud and satisfied at having fulfilled her duties. They were not duties that would have been expected from a Professor, much less from the Headmistress in the times of old, but they were not living in those times, and the current world demanded that everyone rise up to new challenges.

Anne took a moment to compare this woman to the troublemaking child that she once was.

What great friend and enemy time could be.

“Let me put this under lock in the vault, and perhaps I can help you with some of those papers,” Anne said, watching Atsuko’s eyes sparkle.

“You’d do that for me?! Thank you! Have I ever told you that you are my favorite Headmistress that I have worked for?!” Atsuko asked with a wide grin on her face, and her eyes were now full of life.

“Professor Kagari, I am the only Headmistress that you have worked for,” Anne drawled.

“And that makes you my favorite!”

Anne gave a rueful shake of her head. With an unspoken signal, the two of them began the walk back to the ancient castle.

Anne felt Atsuko walk closely, her wand at the ready. It was an unspoken rule that any member of the teaching staff had to be ready to defend the Headmistress at any moment, even in the safe grounds of the academy. Anne huffed. She still had a lot of fight left in her body. The title of Headmistress wasn’t one given on a whim.

After a brief moment of silence, Anne asked a question that had been on her mind as of late.

“Have you given a name to it yet?” Anne asked. She was referring to the creature that Atsuko had transformed into. It was a work of art. One born from someone who took the most basic of magic spells and ended up creating a whole new branch for it.

"It's weird to hear someone technically refer to me as 'it'," Atsuko laughed, "And it's even weirder to have to name something that is part of myself." Anne supposed that was true.

“Shinkaiza. That's the name,” Atsuko spoke after she finished laughing. Her eyes never drifted from the front, and her steps were secure.

“I assume it has a meaning,” Anne spoke.

Like many of the creatures that she had created so far, their names held an important meaning. They could range from ancient translations of languages to even a simple play on words using the names of the people she knew. A shiver rand down Anne’s spine thinking of the Amantar. What a troublesome creature. She only allowed Atsuko to teach that one to a select few students of her class.

But this… Shinkaiza… Anne knew that she will forbid Atsuko from ever teaching it. At least while she worked for Luna Nova. She knew Atsuko was mature enough to understand and even reach the same conclusion as Anne on her own.

“It’s a combination of Shinka, which means evolution, and a phonetic play of the word Kaiser,” Atsuko explained.

The Evolution Emperor.

Anne thought back to the time when Atsuko first transformed into the now named Shinkaiza. It started as a small thing, no larger than an adult cat. Now, it was something capable of many astounding feats, and it still showed signs of further growth. It was an apt name.

And yet…

“It’s… how should I say it...” Anne spoke out loud, trying to come up with a good way to express herself.

“Like something a child would come up with because it sounds cool?” Atsuko asked with a laugh.

Yes. That was it.

“It wasn’t my first choice. But, uh, it was Diana who insisted on that name…”

Anne stopped in her tracks, looking at Atsuko with wide eyes.

“No way…”

“She did!”

“Who knew she had that side to her?”

“Isn’t it the cutest thing?!”

“That’s not for me to decide…”

Their conversation turned rather one-sided from there. Anne was comfortable with allowing Atsuko to talk about her upcoming wedding to her heart’s content. It promised to be a magnificent event. One that had been many years in the making, she supposed. Its beginnings dated as far back as the time when Atsuko was still a student. 

Anne’s mind drifted to the invitation that was neatly secured on the desk of her personal quarters. One that was given to her by the very same woman walking by her side.

“Whoa!” Atsuko said, looking at her with wide eyes. “What’s got you so happy, Headmistress?!”

Ah. Anne must have been smiling without noticing.

“It’s nothing, Atsuko. Now, you were telling me about the wedding cake?”

When Atsuko didn't respond, Anne turned to look at her, finding surprised eyes staring back.

"What is it?" Anne asked.

"You..." Atsuko's lips stretched into a grin, "You called me Atsuko!" she crowed. 

Anne huffed.

"I suppose I did. Don't get used to it, Professor Kagari," she said, causing Atsuko to laugh merrily. It had been a long day. Anne supposed she could allow herself the slip in decorum.

“Anyway, I was telling Diana that there’s nothing wrong with enchanting the cake to move and serve itself on plates, and- “

Once upon a time, Anne would have given a limb if it meant that Atsuko could be gone from Luna Nova, thinking of her as an offense to the ancient academy.

Looking at the Atsuko of today, who carries herself with confidence, and who understands the weight that the title of Witch carries, Anne is glad to have been proven a fool for her past beliefs.


	2. The Past I: It Starts From A Mistake

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akko begins a journey of discovery. Funnily enough, it starts from a mistake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The feedback for the first chapter was good. Thanks to the power outages in my neighborhood for the past few days, I was able to sit down and write down more ideas for this.

** [Late in the year 2018] **

Akko was beginning to become frustrated. She’s been searching for Lotte’s necklace around where her friend thinks she dropped it, but she’s not had any luck in finding it.

A sigh left her lips. If she had her broom with her, she could have circled the area from above -she can do that now, yay! - but she didn’t bring it with her.

Akko raised her head, looking at the bright, blue sky of that wonderful day. It was so pretty. The days were beginning to get cold, and the sky will stop being blue very soon.

Wait… The sky! Yes, that was it! She grinned, taking a hold of her wand. Akko focused on what she wanted.

Flight.

Vision.

One animal appeared on her mind.

_"Metamorphie Faciesse!”_

Her vision sharpened. Wow, everything looked so clear! She could see so well like this! She jumped high, ready to take flight.

Only for her face to meet the ground.

“Ow, ow, ow…” Akko groaned with her eyes shut, feeling the pain all across her body, but mainly in her face. She slowly opened her eyes to see that she was still human. She’d actually attempted to fly with human limbs thinking that she had wings.

What the… She hadn’t failed this spell in a long time! Come on, it was the spell that she felt more confident with! At least no one was around to see her blunder…

Akko blinked rapidly when she noticed that her vision was still sharp and she could see better than normal. Huh? Crap. She hoped this wasn’t permanent. Not that the better vision wasn’t welcomed, but who knew what side effects it could have.

Her frantic thoughts paused when she noticed a glint from a close distance. Well, to her eyes it looked close. She ran towards it and cheered in delight when she saw the necklace that she’d been searching for. Lotte was going to be so happy!

Wow, it really was a pretty necklace. With her vision enhanced, Akko could see the finer details of the craft. Barbara had gone all out. Akko began thinking about using some of her savings to buy something for Diana. She'd never be able to afford to buy something like this necklace for her best friend, but it was the thought that counted, right?

Akko took her wand again, taking a deep breath and focusing the intent of her magic.

Human.

Human vision.

She opened her eyes and let out a sigh of relief when her vision went back to normal. With the necklace in her hand, she began to run back to her dorm.

But even as she ran, Akko couldn’t help the yearning that she felt for that wonderful animal sight.

* * *

* * *

With a frustrated sigh, Akko felt her body change. She didn’t need to look in a mirror to see that the transformation would have earned her full marks if this was a test.

But that wasn’t what she wanted. Well, the good grades were always welcome. Especially if Akko earned them on her own. But what she wanted was to repeat what she did before. It was similar to that time when she accidentally gave herself bunny ears, but with plenty of difference.

Akko wanted to retain her human body while gaining the sharp senses of the animal. She really wasn't sure why. It seemed like she'd only done that by mistake, but something in Akko wanted to do it again. 

Her head turned upwards, towards the sky. It called for her. That was her domain. Why was she down here?

Akko focused, regaining control over the animal’s mind. That's something that she'd had to do as of late when doing the realistic version of the transformation. She felt as if there was something watching her, trying to take control. She ended the transformation, feeling human limbs once again. 

Her eyes closed, and she took a deep breath to shake off the effects of the transformation. She had to make sure that her mind was fully human, least she tried to randomly fly thinking that she was transformed. Depending on where she was if that impulse happened, it could be embarrassing at best and dangerous at worst.

She knelt down to grab the notebook that laid on the ground before opening it and marking down her failure number thirty-fourth in a row.

* * *

* * *

Akko’s eyes were downcast as she marked her failure number one-hundred in a row. She reminded herself that the notebook she was using was a gift from Diana in order to resist the urge to rip it to shreds. She took a deep breath, sitting down on the grass for a few minutes. Akko sat unnaturally still, thinking of everything that she’d tried so far.

Maybe she was going about this whole thing the wrong way. It wouldn’t be the first time, and Akko knew it wouldn’t be the last. But what else could she try? She’d been at this for months.

Perhaps if she tried to do things in reverse? Transform into the animal, and then reverse certain parts of the transformation until she got what she wanted. It was worth a try. She took a hold of her wand. By now, casting the spell was like breathing to her.

_“Metamorphie Faciesse!”_

As she shifted, the animal tried to take over.

This had become normal for her, as strange as that sounded. When she transformed into the realistic version of the animal, its mind would try to take over. Akko wrestled with it for a moment before stopping, feeling the animal do the same.

Akko was tired. She didn’t feel like fighting the animal again. Why did they have to do this every time? Why couldn’t the two of them just help each other?

“Will you help me?” she half asked, half pleaded to the animal in her mind, feeling it scrutinizing her. She absentmindedly wondered if this was normal for everyone who performed the _Metamorphie Faciesse_.

She felt a nudge in her mind from the animal. It wasn’t exactly a message, more like... an instruction or command.

_(Focus.)_

Akko’s face scrunched at herself. Because that's what she was basically doing, right? Arguing with an animal version of herself.

“I have tried!” she yelled to the animal’s conscience. She felt the frustration of one-hundred failures rear its head in full. The animal only nudged her again.

_(Focus.)_

_(You human.)_

_(My vision.)_

_(No beak.)_

_(No talons.)_

_(No wings.)_

In her current morphed form, something inside Akko recoiled at the thought of giving up her wings and means to defend herself and capture prey. How could she even think of such a thing?! That was not an existence!

_(Focus.)_

Akko’s breath shuddered, and she tried to calm herself. She shut her eyes and put all of her willpower into focusing.

She thought of being human. What it felt to have human limbs

She thought of the animal’s wonderful sight. What it felt to see the world with stark clarity.

Akko opened her eyes.

The enhanced vision saw everything surrounding her. Slowly, she looked down at herself.

She was back on her human body.

Akko felt some tears in her eyes, and she let out a sound that was a mixture between a sob and a laugh as she threw her hands in the air, feeling a sense of amusement from the animal.

“Yay!”

* * *

* * *

Akko is happy about doing much better now when it came to her grades and overall skills as a witch.

But the grades from her first year will always remain poor, with some exceptions. She knows she wasn't the best of students back then, both in schoolwork and in staying out of trouble.

That goes extra towards Professor Anne Finnelan. Akko is willing to bet that during her first year at Luna Nova, Finnelan would have given a limb if it meant that Akko could have been gone from the ancient academy.

Akko accepts that, taking part of the blame. It went both ways. Finnelan had it out for her, and Akko was too… well, like herself to stay out of the Professor’s radar. But Akko’s improved now. Not only with her grades, but in her behavior as well. Its been almost eight months since her last detention.

Akko kept that in mind before approaching Professor Anne Finnelan for help one morning.

She shouldn’t have been surprised that Finnelan’s first reaction was to think that Akko’s up to no good. But in the end, she manages to convince Finnelan to spare her some minutes in the afternoon. And that’s why Akko is in the Professor’s office right now, explaining everything to Finnelan, who to her credit, listens patiently to what Akko is saying.

Akko tells Finnelan how she accidentally gave herself enhanced animal vision while retaining her human body and about how there was an animal mind alongside her own when she performs the spell. Akko tells her about managing to do that at will now after some practice. Akko even shows Finnelan all of the notes that she’s taken since she started attempting to replicate what she did all those months ago. She had to translate some of the things that she wrote in Japanese, but everything is there in that notebook. Every single of her failures and small victories.

Finnelan was currently giving a look at her notes. She didn’t take long to read each page, but Akko didn’t get the feeling that her notes were being dismissed. Finnelan was probably just that good and efficient at reading fast. How lucky.

Akko appreciates that Finnelan is sparing the time to read her notes, even if the Professor wasn't Akko's first choice.

Her first choice would have been Diana, who is not only her best friend, but also her… girlfriend… of two weeks now.

They’d been the best of friends for a while now, and yeah, back at the beginning, Akko couldn’t have seen herself becoming friends with Diana, much less her girlfriend. But now, the two of them were a couple, and Akko was giddy at how easy it was to go from best friends to best friends who date.

Akko fought down the urge to grin dumbly just thinking of Diana. Right now, she needed to show Finnelan that she was serious about this.

But Diana’s busy with her own things. Like the extra duties that she does for Luna Nova. Which reminded Akko that after this, she needed to hurry and find Diana and see if she can lend her a hand with whatever her current task is. Akko knows she can help now instead of causing extra trouble for her girlfriend.

Her second choice would have been Chariot, but she’s been busy lately. Not only with her own work, but with her personal life. Alcor’s not been feeling well, and she took a leave of absence to take him to an expert in magical creatures. Akko really hoped that everything would go right, and she sent a mental prayer of support for both of them.

Akko snapped to attention when Finnelan closed the notebook that she gave her. Finnelan’s stoic expression became fully focused on Akko, and her mouth parted slightly. Akko gulped, instinctively fearing the worst.

“These are some rather interesting notes, Miss Kagari,” Finnelan spoke.

Akko sighed in resignation. Of course. Of course Finnelan would dismiss her notes as trash and-

Wait... Hold on.

“R-really…?” Akko stuttered, somehow not believing what she’d just heard.

Finnelan gave a curt nod.

“Indeed, they are,” Finnelan confirmed. Akko resisted the urge to rub her eyes, because she could have sworn that Finnelan’s stoic gaze softened somehow. “I won’t mince words with you, Miss Kagari. The moment I opened this notebook, I was not expecting something this well cataloged and thought out.”

Akko preened at the compliment, even if there was also a slight jab towards her in there.

“And as an afterthought, I’ll add that your penmanship is quite remarkable,” Finnelan added, opening Akko’s notebook at random pages.

“Um. Thank... you, Professor Finnelan,” Akko scratched the back of her head awkwardly. That, she wasn’t expecting. Honestly, she didn’t feel like it was something worthy of praise.

“Now, as for the contents of your notes, what is it exactly that you wish to ask me?” Finnelan asked.

“Well, I… what I want…” Akko hesitated for a moment before she focused. “I wanted to know if that sort of thing is normal. So that I can, uh, learn more about it.” Akko was talking about her botched transformation and the fact that she could sort of communicate with the animal in her mind. Because she did want to learn more about how that worked. If she could learn to do that with other animals… well…

It wasn’t a game-changer for the world of magic, she knew. Akko only thought it was something cool that she wanted to learn. That wasn't a crime, right?

“I see,” Finnelan nodded slightly. “I cannot help you, then.”

Eh?

“Wh-what do you mean?!” Akko couldn’t help her frantic stammer.

“Miss Kagari, I am the Professor of Magic Linguistics,” Finnelan said as a matter of fact. “I am not a Professor of Metamorphosis Magic.”

Oh. Akko bit the bottom of her lip to stop it from quivering. Finnelan was right. Now Akko just felt extremely dumb…

“That, however, does not mean that I am not well versed in Metamorphosis Magic,” Finnelan continued. “I think I can answer one of those questions, the one about gaining traits of an animal while in your human body.”

Akko looked at her with grateful eyes. Well, that was better than nothing. She straightened her posture, dutifully giving Finnelan her full attention.

“Miss Kagari, unless I am mistaken -and I do not believe that I am- this is the first documented case of such a thing ever happening,” Finnelan explained, and Akko could have sworn that the Professor’s voice sounded impressed.

“Miss Kagari, are you familiar with the concept of using magic as a means to temporarily strengthen one’s body?” Finnelan asked, and Akko nodded instantly. Chariot had explained that one and even started to teach it to her.

“Very well,” Finnelan said, seemingly pleased about not having to explain the concept. “I believe this works in a similar way. There are many spells to enhance vision, voice, limb strength, etc.”

“This, however, seems to hold more… potential…” Finnelan trailed off quietly, staring directly at Akko, who could only blink back. The Professor remained silent for a long moment before standing up, walking around her desk, and stopping in front of Akko.

“Miss Kagari, what’s the current charge of your wand?” Finnelan asked her.

“Full,” Akko answered readily. She’d charged it before coming to Finnelan’s office.

“If you will, I would like to see you perform the Metamorphie Faciesse. Turn into the animal you are most comfortable with,” Finnelan requested.

Akko wasn’t expecting that request, but she quickly stood up. Her wand was on her hand automatically, and the words were leaving her mouth in an instant.

_“Metamorphie Faciesse!”_

Back in her first year, the animal she felt more comfortable with wouldn't have been this one. In fact, she couldn't even turn into this animal back then. But now, after months of attempts to make the animal's vision her own, Akko could say that this animal was her favorite.

She felt the usual shift, and in an instant, she was looking up at Finnelan, who sighed.

“An acceptable transformation, I suppose” Finnelan noted in a… was that a disappointed tone? Akko felt some indignation at that.

She gritted her teeth but focused for a moment and felt herself change again. She noticed the animal’s mind appear on their shared mindscape. It radiated amusement. _“Is this better?”_ she asked a bit snappy, looking up at Finnelan, whose eyes fully widened in surprise.

“A… that’s… a remarkable, perfect transformation, Miss Kagari,” Finnelan said after a few seconds of silence. “And I was not aware that you were capable of shifting while already morphed to improve the realism. Were this a test, I rather say that you would earn full marks.”

Akko felt a sense of déjà vu.

 _“Uh… thanks, Professor,”_ Akko felt her anger die down. She could only say that to try and be a bit polite. Finnelan simply nodded, but her eyes narrowed in thought.

“Please change into another animal. Same process. First, a basic transformation, and then into a realistic one.”

Akko mentally shrugged, but she readily did as Finnelan asked. She had to take a moment to stop herself from morphing into one of the bigger animals that she knew. Finnelan would not take well to that while in her precious office.

She morphed again, shrinking even more this time. Her tail shifted and elongated, while her wings and talons disappeared, becoming small feet. Ah, now this one was her favorite back in her first year. Akko remained like that for a few seconds before focusing her mind and intent on realism. Much like the previous animal, she felt a new conscience appear in her mind. It felt scared, and Akko tried to soothe it a bit.

“Now, please cancel the transformation,” Finnelan requested. Akko did just that - taking a brief moment to send a nudge of comfort towards the current animal- before turning back to normal.

“Miss Kagari, please show me your wand,” Akko wasn’t expecting that, but she handed her wand over to Finnelan, who inspected it. Or rather, she inspected the charge. After a moment, Finnelan placed it on her desk.

Finnelan’s own wand appeared on her hand, and she showed the charge to Akko. It was full.

_“Metamorphie Faciesse.”_

Now it was Akko’s turn to look down at Finnelan as she turned into the first animal that Akko choose. Perfect form right out of the bat, of course. Oh, look at that plumage. Akko resisted the urge to chuckle. Even like this, Finnelan still seemed so stoic and proper and stuff.

_“Miss Kagari, I can practically read your thoughts.”_

“Oh. Sorry, Professor.”

Finnelan’s animal eyes narrowed, focusing on her for a moment, and Akko had the distinct feeling that something was going over her head. Had she done or said something wrong?

Finnelan ended her transformation, observing the charge of her own wand, and nodding as if she’d just confirmed something. She motioned for Akko to approach her as she settled her wand beside Akko's, with the charges of each wand being displayed.

The charge of her wand was higher than Finnelan’s. Nearly fully intact, actually.

“Congratulations, Miss Kagari,” Finnelan allowed Akko to hear the amazement in her voice. “It would seem that you are well on your way to possibly becoming a Master of _Metamorphie Faciesse._ One of the very few currently alive. Do keep working hard to reach that threshold.”

Finnelan said all of that as if it was a statement of great importance that Akko should feel joy about.

Akko only blinked at her.

“Master of what now?”

Finnelan sighed out loud.

**Author's Note:**

> I woke up craving some wholesome Akko and Finnelan interactions so I wrote this self-indulgent piece. If you happen to know similar fics, do please link them. Thank you.


End file.
